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Comparison of physical and mental health status between cancer survivors and the general population: a Korean population-based survey (KNHANES II-IV)

Supportive Care in Cancer volume 21, pages 3471–3481 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose

To compare the physical and mental health status of the general population with that of cancer survivors in South Korea.

Methods

We analyzed 19,035 subjects (age ≥40 years), who participated in the 2001–2009 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey II–IV. We compared metabolic syndrome components, health behaviors, and mental health outcomes between cancer survivors and non-cancer controls.

Results

Cancer survivors accounted for 1.68 % (n = 316) of total population. Cancer survivors did not show low occurrence of hypertension and diabetes compared to the control group. Both cancer survivors and the general population had high risks of physical inactivity (75.4 % and 75.5 %, respectively) and inadequate sleep (52.5 % and 60.7 %, respectively). In the unadjusted model, depression was more common in cancer survivors (odds ratio [OR], 1.61; 95 % CI, 1.22–2.74), so was suicidal ideation (OR, 1.51; 95 % CI, 0.16–1.96) than non-cancer controls. After adjustment for attributable socioeconomic factors, the elevated adjusted odds ratios (aORs) among cancer survivors were reduced by 23 % in depression and 45 % in suicidal thought. Cancer survivors at <5 years from diagnosis showed a high occurrence of depression (aOR, 1.77; 95 % CI, 1.09–2.85) while the magnitude of aOR decreases after ≥5 years from cancer diagnosis (aOR, 1.38; 95 % confidence interval, 0.97–1.98, respectively).

Conclusions

The physical and mental health of South Korean cancer survivors was not optimal. Their control rates of modifiable risk factors were similar or even lower than those for the non-cancer groups. Depression was highly prevalent in cancer survivors which can be ascribed, at least in part, to socioeconomic environment. A better-targeted intervention to improve the health of this population may be needed.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the members of the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs who conducted the national survey and everyone who contributed to this project.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Department of Family Medicine & Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yunkeon-dong, Jongro-gu, Seoul, 110-744, South Korea

    Sang Min Park

  2. Department of Family Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, 28 Yunkeon-dong, Jongro-gu, Seoul, 110-744, South Korea

    Kyae Hyung Kim, Dong Wook Shin, Ju Hyun Lee & Young-Jin Ko

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, 28 Yunkeon-dong, Jongro-gu, Seoul, 110-744, South Korea

    Young Youn Cho

Authors
  1. Kyae Hyung Kim
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  2. Young Youn Cho
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  6. Sang Min Park
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sang Min Park.

Additional information

K.H. Kim and Y.Y. Cho contributed equally to this work as first authors.

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Kim, K.H., Cho, Y.Y., Shin, D.W. et al. Comparison of physical and mental health status between cancer survivors and the general population: a Korean population-based survey (KNHANES II-IV). Support Care Cancer 21, 3471–3481 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-013-1939-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-013-1939-8

Keywords

  • Neoplasms
  • Survivors
  • Metabolic syndrome
  • Lifestyle
  • Health behavior
  • Depression
  • Suicidal thought